Relevance of Traditional Wet Markets, as a Communal Space that Promotes Community Bonding, in Singapore’s Public Housing Estates.
Introduction In recent years, there has been much hype over keeping the traditional wet markets by bringing in more activities and function to make it a less time dictated communal space. Rapid process of urban redevelopment is transforming the way people are interacting with the spaces around them, particular in the up and coming high-density...
Fresh approaches to urban design in the metropolitan Seoul
Seoul is one of the world’s most dense cities. While the city is internationally known for the rapid economic growth and massive urban development in the past, it is largely overlooked that fresh approaches to urban development, which differ from the earlier period, are taking place in the metropolitan Seoul. One approach is related to...
The World of Malls #1
Today, there are 70 odd of shopping centre in Jakarta. This will put Jakarta as city with the largest number of shopping centre in the world. (Kompas.com, 21 February 2011) If we tried to categorized these 70 malls (excluding Global scale malls) based on the total retail area in relation to its catchment zone by...
The Social Memories of a Voiddeck
“downstair” Directed By Diya Tan Produced By Quek Hui Min, Helmi Ali Director of Photography PK Tan This film was produced as a final-year project in the Wee Kim Wee School of Communication and Information (WKWSCI), Nanyang Technological University, Singapore. All Rights Reserved 2008. downstair. A colloquial and affectionate term used by many when referring...
Insurgent Space in Singapore?
Every Sunday, the strip of land flanking a long canal way in Singapore becomes the site for ‘insurgent spatial practices’ – a concept popularized by Jeffrey Hou in his book, ”Insurgent Public Space: Guerilla Urbanism and the Remaking of Contemporary Cities”. Hou describes insurgent public space as a mode of city-making that is different from conventional...
Whose void deck is it anyway? Not here then where?
Recently, the communal beauty that the void deck represented has been tainted with a case of ‘NIMBY’ or ‘Not in my Backyard’, a concern recently raised my our own Prime Minister. A couple of months ago, residents in Woodlands and Toh Yi petitioned against the construction of elder case facilities in their own estates, claiming that it was not that...
The Politics in Public housing : the ideology driver of the government
Pinnacle @ Duxton. Topped out with a viewing gallery soaring 50 stories above ground only open to VIPs, is THE crowning glory of Singapore’s Public Housing Development Since the inception of Singapore, the PAP government has never strayed from its commitment to provide public housing for the whole nation. To them, continuing support for public...
Community in a high rise environment
Enjoying the last few moments together before it walks into history – Block 9 Ghim Moh Road Appreciating the obstacles to its emergence, the need for community in high-rise residential housing estates has always been an important concern of planners and architects. Invariably, every architectural drawing of a single blocks of flats will provide...
Foreign Workers in Singapore: Spatial Practices of Resistance
The Western region of Singapore (Boon Lay, Pioneer, Jurong West, Jurong Island) houses some 30 000 foreign workers, the highest concentration of any other region. They are housed primarily within what the government states as “approved housing” – purpose-built dormitories, converted industrial premises and rented public housing flats. However, these are just official housing premises...
Contesting Public Space: Singapore’s Little India
(Straits Times, 13 April 2012) A recent Straits Times article reported how residents living in Little India requested for their public Resident’s Corner located within their housing ‘void deck’ to be cordoned off from foreign workers.Their concerns include the presumed disamenities caused by foreign workers’ presence in the...
Community gardening – Community ungardening
Clementi Makeshift Farm getting the boot, literally. Copyright © Matthew Allen, WSJ A community garden is a single piece of land gardened collectively by a group of people. ...
Continuity
Currently, Singapore is facing population boom. To date, the country contains more than 5 million people within the 700 square kilometers of build up areas. Singapore’s policy makers are planning for 6.5 million people in 5 years. In order to provide more public houses, many 10 storey old housing blocks were replaced with 40 storey...